Green Bay Packers: NFL's True No. 1 Player is…

This may be old news to some but we need to set the record straight regarding “The Top 100 Players of 2015” via NFL Network. As you all know, J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans reeled in the number one spot on this list, with Aaron Rodgers right behind him.

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Is this something to lose sleep over? Absolutely not.

Watt has the potential to be the greatest defensive player of our generation and his campaign last year has been the strongest he has had yet. The reason I won’t claim he has already attained that glory is because he is still very young – just 26 years old – and has only played four years in this league. Make no mistake, however, he is well on his way.

Watt is an incredible player, somebody that has to be accounted for on every single play. If and when his teammate Jadeveon Clowney begins to reach his potential as well, we might be seeing the greatest pass rush tandem in a very long time. Simply put, they will be unstoppable.

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Watt’s 2014 numbers jump off the charts. In all 16 games that he played in and started, he totaled 78 tackles, 20.5 sacks; four forced fumbles; five fumbles recovered and returned for a total of 59 yards including a touchdown; one safety; and an interception returned 80 yards for a touchdown.

Let’s not forget that Watt did some damage in the red zone on offense as well. Of the three times he was targeted for a short red zone touchdown, he caught all three passes for touchdowns.

Incredible. No other way to put it.

If there was ever a year for a non-quarterback to win NFL Network’s No. 1 ranking, it was 2014. Perhaps this swayed the votes in his direction; his peers might have jumped on the idea that this was truly the best time to reward a player other than a quarterback for his accomplishments in this league.

Dec 21, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) sacks Baltimore Ravens quarterback

Joe Flacco

(5) during the game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Believe me, there is nothing wrong with that. I applaud their ambition.

Does that make it the right call? Not in my book.

We are talking about a ranking list of the top players in this league. What does this mean exactly? In my opinion , the No. 1 player must not only be the best at their respective position but also be the most valuable across the entire league – be that right or wrong (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it). When this player enters a game, everyone must recognize that no one else can do what they can do any given Sunday.

Opposing coaches must devote majority of practices, preparing to face this player and prevent what he does best.

One simple way to estimate a player’s value or importance is to see what he can be traded for in this league. Be truthful about this: would the Packers trade quarterback Aaron Rodgers for any other player in this league, including Watt? Or on the flip side, which team wouldn’t trade their best player for Aaron Rodgers? I believe even the Texans would not hesitate trading Watt away for Rodgers.

Crazy as it sounds, the Top 100 appears to actually underestimate the importance of the quarterback position. What quarterbacks bring to the team – the leadership, the fearlessness, the toughness – cannot be replaced by any other. The game rests in the hands of the man behind center.

And who is the more deserving of the top ranking spot than the league MVP himself?

“I think if any GM were given the opportunity to select one player to build their team for the next five years, they would take Aaron Rodgers,” concluded Mike Spofford in his discussion with Vic Ketchman (via Packers.com).

In the quarterback-driven era of today, not having a quarterback means you may be out of luck.

When Rodgers steps on the field, he truly does tilt the field more so than any other player in the league, as Mike Spofford alluded to. There is no other way around it.

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Rodgers won the AP Most Valuable Player Award in 2014 and rightfully so. He threw for 4,381 yards, 38 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. His passer rating of 112.2 was the second highest of his career (in his previous NFL MVP campaign of 2011, his passer rating was 122.5).

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He finished the season practically on one leg. Anyone watching him play could see not only the pain on his face but the fact that he was immobile in the pocket. The Rodgers we are used to seeing – scrambling, making plays – resorted to carving defenses without his greatest talent.

Even still, he led the Green Bay Packers to a division title and the number-two seed in the NFC. The Week 17 matchup against the Detroit Lions may have been the game by which we will remember his illustrious career. His performance in that drama-filled game will be remembered for ages.

So is it good for the league that a defensive player grabbed the number one spot for 2015? Sure it is. But Rodgers put together quite the year himself this past season and in some people’s eyes (not mine, obviously), you could probably flip a coin.

What do you think? A heads up for Rodgers while there will be no tailing off by Watt? It makes for an intriguing argument…at least for some.

Next: Eddie Lacy Looking Forward to 2015

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Green Bay Packers: NFL’s True No. 1 Player is…

By Arty Vezikov | Jul 14, 2015

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